Disease Control and Prevention: Physical Activity and Good Nutrition - Essay Example

Nutrition A healthy and balanced diet is very necessary for leading a normal and proper life. Nutrition imbalance can be a cause of many diseases in the short term and long term both. A very common condition caused by a nutritional imbalance which is prevalent these days all around the world in obesity. Obesity is a disease state which was initially considered to be environmentally determined that is it has no genetic role in its causation. But recent research has put forward the fact that obesity is a disease state which has both genetic component and environmental factors involved in causing it. It is caused by the deletion in a gene known as Ob gene putting the subjects with these deletions at high risks of developing obesity. The disease is thus considered to be hereditary. Apart from the genetic part over nutrition contributes in leading to this pathology. This state led to by over nutrition is the condition that I also foresee experiencing myself in the future because adults in our family are suffering from this condition. To avoid future health problems it is very important for me to have a very well balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle so that I can lead a proper life and not put myself at the risk of other life taking pathologies which come along with obesity. The first and foremost fact that needs to be considered to overcome this condition is assessment of a well balanced, nutrient dense diet which would provide me with all the essential nutrients and lesser calories. This is because my body needs to be well nourished and at the same my weight should also not increase considerable. Maintaining a healthy diet does not mean that we should reduce our calories to an extent that it lacks the essential nutrients and vitamins and minerals required by our body. Thus a clearly assessed diet with all essential components and the recommended amount of calories needs to be kept in mind when preparing a diet plan. Being a male in my early twenties it is recommended for me to utilize 2800 calories per day according to the food guide pyramid. According to the food guide pyramid I should consume eleven servings form bread, cereal, rice and pasta, five servings from vegetables, four servings from fruits, two servings from milk, yogurt and cheese and a total of seven oz from eggs, nuts, poultry fish and dry beans. These servings meet my daily caloric requirement. But along with this knowing the risk that I face the use of saturated fats in preparing the meals should be avoided because they are high in cholesterol and vegetable oils are recommended because they contain unsaturated oil which is heart friendly and reduces risk of heart diseases as well. Egg yolk having high cholesterol content should also be avoided. Among the vegetables, green leafy vegetables which include broccoli and spinach are preferred and also other vegetables which include green beans, sweet potatoes and potatoes can be taken. Fruits with citrus which include oranges and berries should have a higher proportion because they have high fiber plus they are rich in vitamin C. milk and yogurt in my case should especially be skimmed and the cheese should also be low fat. An important thing that also needs to be referred is the Acceptable Macro Nutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDRs). These values actually provide a ratio of the percentage of fat, carbohydrates and protein calories which need to be present in the diet. According to this range 45 to 65% calories should be from carbohydrates, 20 to 35% from fat and 10 to 35% from proteins. When choosing a healthy diet it is necessary for me to keep these ranges in mind and preferably the calories from fat should be the minimum recommended amount. With my increasing age I should also keep in mind that the fat values need to be reduced a lot. A healthy diet which includes all the essential foods with the right amount of calories and less fat especially saturated fat is the most recommended for me. Physical activity is also essential so thus a walk or an exercise routine of about an hour is essential. Apart from this routine exercise if on some specific day I feel that I have exceeded the accepted caloric value which is right for me, I should make sure to increase the time of my exercise. As this schedule is for me to be followed always and if at times I cannot resist certain foods it is necessary that I should consider the caloric value of different foods and the Acceptable Macro Nutrient Ranges. That is if for a day I increase my fat calories I must reduce these from the carbohydrates or proteins to make sure that they do not exceed from my required calories per day. Knowing of the hereditary obesity in my family I have tried to implement these goals. I have asked for all cooking to be done in vegetable oil with the milk and yogurt that comes to our house to be skimmed. I have ordered a treadmill so that I can walk regularly. I have limited the intake of my fast food and have asked for support from my friends as well. But this routine has not been a very easy one. Changing the food patters of everyone in our house is a difficult job. Parties, outings and weddings are places where the diet values are always disturbed. Apart from this I am a student and have to study and do all my researches and all this requires time and I so not get sufficient time for the daily exercise that is a necessity. I have started taking small notes of what needs to be studied with me for walks so that I do not miss my daily physical activity time. To check for the effectiveness of my diet plans I keep a regular check on my weight to ensue that the plan is working for me. Initially when I was not aware of all these calorie requirements and I used to diet strictly, I used to feel lethargic and dull and could not concentrate on my work. But since I started working in this proper plan I feel fresh and energetic indicating that this plan has been effective for me. Obesity is a condition which can be the base for many degenerative diseases. It can lead to cardiovascular diseases which include hypertension, coronary heart diseases and stroke. It increases the risk of certain cancers which include esophageal, colon and prostate cancers. It can lead to insulin resistance within the cells hence leading to diabetes mellitus. And it also affects the musculoskeletal system of a person by increasing the risk of osteoarthritis and gout. Obesity has now become a global issue due to its increasing rise and the risks that it poses. It is a very common condition in the Unites States with 35% of the adult population being overweight and 30% of the adult population being obese. Obesity is a cause of heart diseases and diabetes in the United States and these diseases account for 400,000 deaths in the country annually. Due to the rise in the consumption of unhealthy foods and reduction in the physical activities obesity has been reaching peaks. This disease needs to managed properly with proper diets and other measures to overcome the significant deaths due to the condition. References: Kumar, V., Abbas, A. K., Fausto, N., Robbins, S. L., & Cotran, R. S. (2005). Robbins and Cotran pathologic basis of disease. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Physical Activity and Good Nutrition: Essential elements to prevent chronic diseases and obesity, 2004. Available online at www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/aag/pdf/aag_dnpa2004.pdf accessed July 31, 2004. U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Food Guide Pyramid, Revised 2000. Available online at www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/Fpyr/pyramid.html. Read More